Floating in Japan

WASHINGTON – This summer, I spent an hour floating in a 1.21 × 2.4-meter isolation tank filled with tepid salt water in a basement in Manassas, Virginia.

Floating in a tank of skin-temperature water saltier than the Dead Sea is said to induce an ethereal, meditative state — one that doesn’t necessitate furtive handoffs on street corners or haggling with sketchy dudes who listen to Grateful Dead bootlegs.